May 1 question: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

My experience would have to be when I first started publishing. One of my earliest publications was to a small magazine and it was about finding the positive in anything and everything, including the not so positive experiences we go through from time to time.

The day I got my copy, I got a phone call from a reader who lived in Oklahoma. I lived in Michigan. He was quite direct wanting to know what my day was like right then and what was so positive about it.

I must admit, that day wasn’t the best day for me. I paused.

Right away, he quipped, “Ha, I knew you couldn’t do it.”

“Give a minute,” I said. A few seconds later, I found my positive and told him.

He paused and said, “I guess you showed me that we can find the positive if we’re willing to look around and think about it.”

The fact that my little article could reach someone halfway across the country like that was a powerful message to me that I needed to take care about what I wrote.

More than ever that holds true in today’s social media and e-mails. We have the power to help or to hurt. I’ll choose to help every time.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

Patty is a good friend and we recently spent a weekend together at a write-in she organized. I was finishing the first draft to the second novella in my Laurel Ridge romance novella series. As a result, because she was looking for a guest for her blog, she liked the idea of my talking about the genesis of the series, which includes already having all seven titles and their covers completed.